Style Guide Essentials
A style guide eliminates debates. "Should we capitalize 'Email Marketing' or write 'email marketing'?" "Is it 'e-commerce' or 'ecommerce'?" Without documented answers, every writer makes different choices, and your content library becomes inconsistent. A style guide is not creative; it's an engineering document that ensures consistency across writers, articles, and time. This lesson covers the minimum viable style guide every content team needs.
Part 1 — The Minimum Viable Style Guide
The 8 Categories Every Style Guide Must Cover
- The 8 Categories
- Starter Template
| Category | Decisions to Document | Example Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Capitalization | Title case vs. sentence case for headings | "Sentence case for all H2/H3 headings" |
| Numbers | Spell out vs. digits, commas vs. periods | "Spell out 1–9, use digits for 10+. Use commas (1,000 not 1.000)" |
| Punctuation | Oxford comma, em dashes, ellipses | "Always use the Oxford comma. Use em dashes for parenthetical clauses" |
| Formatting | Bold, italic, code formatting rules | "Bold for key terms on first use. Italic for publication names. Code for code" |
| Terminology | Product names, industry terms | "SEO (not S.E.O.). ecommerce (not e-commerce). AI (not A.I.)" |
| Dates and times | Format for dates, time zones | "February 3, 2025 (not 2/3/25 or 3/2/25). Times in UTC" |
| Links | When to link, how to format | "Link on first mention only. Use descriptive text, never 'click here'" |
| Images | Alt text, captions, naming | "Alt text required. Filename: topic-description.png" |
| Setting | Rule |
|---|---|
| H1 | Title Case |
| H2/H3 | Sentence case |
| Product names | As branded ("ConvertKit" not "convertkit") |
| Numbers | Spell out one–nine; digits for 10+ |
| Data numbers | Always digits: "3% increase" not "three percent" |
| Commas | 1,000 / 10,000 / 1,000,000 |
| Oxford comma | Always |
| Em dashes | Use — not -- with no surrounding spaces |
| Quotes | Double quotes for quotations, single for terms |
| Bold | Key terms on first introduction, data highlights |
| Italic | Publication names, sparing emphasis |
| Code | Technical terms, file names, code snippets |
| Links | First mention only; descriptive text, never "click here" |
| External links | Open in new tab |
| Internal links | Minimum 3 per article |
Part 2 — Building Your Own Style Guide
The 3-Step Process
flowchart TD
A[Step 1: Audit\nCollect existing inconsistencies] --> B[Step 2: Decide\nDocument one correct answer per issue]
B --> C[Step 3: Enforce\nAdd to editing checklist + share with team]
style C fill:#217346,color:#fff
- Audit: Read 10 of your existing articles. Note every inconsistency (capitalization, number format, terminology spelling)
- Decide: For each inconsistency, choose one standard. Document the rule AND the reasoning
- Enforce: Add the rules to your self-editing checklist. Share with every writer and editor
Don't try to document every possible style decision on day one. Start with the 10 most common inconsistencies in your content. Add rules as new questions arise. A living document beats a perfect document.
Part 3 — Common Style Decisions
The Debates (And Our Recommendations)
| Debate | Our Recommendation | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Oxford comma? | ✅ Always | Prevents ambiguity |
| Title Case or Sentence case? | Sentence case for H2/H3 | Easier to read, less shouting |
| "%" or "percent"? | % with digits (23%), "percent" spelled out with words | Industry standard |
| One space or two after period? | One | Two is a typewriter convention — not used on the web |
| Contractions? | ✅ Yes | Sounds more conversational. Avoid only in formal legal/medical content |
| Em dash spacing? | No spaces — like this | Cleaner visually |
| Acronym definition? | Define on first use, acronym after | "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)" |
Part 4 — Bad vs. Good Examples
- ❌ Inconsistent Style
- ✅ Consistent Style
"Our E-mail Marketing guide covers 5 key topics. We analyzed Ten campaigns and found that click-through rates (CTR) improved in most cases. See our companion article about e-commerce best practises for more tips. Click here to learn more."
(Inconsistencies: "E-mail" should be "email." "5" and "Ten" — mixed number formatting. "practises" — should be "practices" (American English). "Click here" — non-descriptive link.)
"Our email marketing guide covers five key topics. We analyzed 10 campaigns and found that click-through rates (CTR) improved by an average of 14%. See our companion article on ecommerce best practices for related strategies."
(Consistent: "email" lowercase. Numbers spelled out below 10, digits above. "CTR" defined on first use. "ecommerce" one word. Descriptive link text.)
Part 5 — Output Checklist
- 8 categories covered: Your style guide addresses capitalization, numbers, punctuation, formatting, terminology, dates, links, and images.
- Shared location: The style guide is accessible to all writers and editors.
- Living document: New rules are added as questions arise.
- Editing integration: Style rules are part of the self-editing checklist.
- Consistency across articles: Random article samples show consistent formatting.
Internal use only. Do not distribute externally. For questions or suggested updates, raise with the content lead.